As far as surfing goes, San Diego is one of the best cities to live in the US. As far as culture goes, it doesn't stand up to the offerings of NY, LA, or SF. That's when I saw that the Banksy exhibit was coming to Del Mar, it was something I couldn't miss. You shouldn't either, The Art of Banksy: Without Limits is running at the Del Mar Fairgrounds through April 22nd, and if you haven't gone yet, now's your last chance. Trust me, it's worth the trip.

I won't pretend to be a museum enthusiast or an avid art-historian but I do have a deep love for art, especially street art, thanks to getting turned onto Banksy around 2010. My only regret is that I wasn't able to go to some of his first shows in LA and NY or, better still, able to pick up a piece from what I consider to be the world's greatest living artist. The notorious anonymous street artist, who likely evolved into a collective of co-conspirators, thinkers, and pranksters in the mid 00's, was recently revealed to be Robin Gunningham in a Reuters investigation, though his lawyers deny it—naturally. But knowing his identity doesn't diminish the allure of his work, my visit was two hours of awe and inspiration.

View this post on Instagram

Banksy doesn't skirt around issues deemed un-PC and the exhibit doesn't either, taken as a whole, the hits on all of his notes: critique of mass surveillance, consumerism, celebrity culture, colonialism and imperialism and, of course, art itself. It contains more than 200 works—originals, prints on various materials, lithographs, photographs, sculptures, and large-scale murals—assembled into an immersive experience that shatters what you'd expect from a traditional gallery show. There's an infinity room, a hologram installation, several films, and a number of interactive elements throughout that make the whole thing feel alive. Upon walking out of the exhibit, my first thought was, 'Wow, look at all these blank walls. Wouldn't it be cool if there was art out here, too?'

The social commentary is obviously front and center and couldn't be more brutal, spot-on, and sublime. His art has a way of becoming the defining statement of an issue with a simplicity that defies the falsely-implied complexity. It's almost like a rhetorical question that is begging someone to try and do better. The pieces that made him famous, the ones you've seen all over the internet, like Girl with Balloon, remain timeless and even more powerful when viewed off-screen. Sure, they may not all be originals, but the setting still conveys a seriousness. It's like growing up seeing pictures of famous waves like Cloudbreak — then actually being in the water and seeing

What I loved most about the show is that it tells a longer story about an artist who has been paying close attention to the world and is consistently ahead of the curve of social narratives. For instance, his early work in Gaza goes back 20 years and, in that time, he has continued to create and critique the terrible conditions endured by the Palestinians.

Adventure Sports Network

Message History

Delivery option(s)